Jeff Petry plays more minutes than any other Edmonton Oilers defenceman, which usually means he’s better than any other Oilers defenceman, but he’ll be a healthy scratch Thursday night against Patrick Roy’s Colorado Avalanche.

Petry, who plays 22 minutes a night, is taking a seat in the pressbox to “reset,” as his coach Dallas Eakins says, after he struggled badly against Phoenix Tuesday, on the heels of a tough game against the Stars in Dallas Sunday. Petry may just be playing too many minutes and is open to mistakes because of it, on the porous back-end, but Eakins is sending a message.

“It’s not fun but I’ve been in this position before when I first came up (from the AHL),” said Petry, who is still perceived to be a shutdown guy, but he’s minus 10 in his 29 games, and like most guys offers up the mantra that it’s sometimes a good thing to watch from the press-box and see how plays develop–like the all-knowing media folks who wonder why players don’t see this player sneaking in or whatever.

For sure Petry is making some uncharacteristic mistakes like letting Stars’ Ryan Garbutt get in behind him to slam one past Devan Dubnyk Sunday because he didn’t have his head on a swivel and he had fellow defenceman Keith Yandle turn him around on a rush to blister a shot by Dubnyk Tuesday.

“Dallas said I have to be accountable and like I’ve said I haven’t been playing well..he wants me to watch and hit the reset button,” said Petry. “I can make this situation frustrating or I can sit out and make a positive out of it.”

“He wants me to be harder to play against. When my game is on, I’m really assertive and I’m seeing what’s going on around me. I’m reading the play before it happens. I have to be confident with my passing too,” he said.

Petry was kicking himself over Garbutt coming in late to score while Ference was pushing a Dallas forward wide on a rush. “I wasn’t sure if he was going to beat Ference to the net but he was doing his job pushing him to the outside. The most dangerous guy was the one behind me,” he said.

Eakins says Petry’s game has dropped off to the point he had to take a seat. “I’ve preached accountability,” said Eakins. “It’s important he take a step back. He’s to a point where he’s suffered where he can watch a game, take a breath and reset.”

“I had a long conversation with Jeff this morning and it was productive. He took in what I was saying and I commended Jeff on what he said yesterday (Wednesday),” said Eakins, who saw Petry standing up and admitting his mistakes. “You don’t see that too often. On plays now it’s usually one of two things. Either the player says I’m not talking or the player says ‘I’m kind of responsible but it’s the team too.’ Petey stood up and he said he was struggling and responsible. That’s a hard thing to do.”

“We’re not mad at Petey. We expect more and he understands the scratching,”

Eakins feels Petry can be a solid shutdown guy. “Our aspirations for him because of his size and skating ability is to develop him into a top defender. He’s getting on the job lessons. We haven’t been able to ease him into this role. He’s in the role,” said Eakins.

Eakins will also sit defenceman Anton Belov for the first time since he signed his free-agent contract. He seems to skate at one speed with no second gear, and the suffocating confines of an NHL rink with major forechecking and guys in your face all night long are far different from the more comfortable bigger European ice.

“We can’t forget that Anton’s a rookie (27 years old) in this league and he’s been thrust into a bigger role than he should have been but that’s the game. I think he’s battled but there’s a lot going on for a rookie European,” said Eakins, who decided that Denis Grebeshkov, who was also in the top six against the Coyotes Tuesday, also had to go back to the minors which means three new defence faces against the Avs.

Here’s the scorecard, if you’re keeping track:

Philip Larsen is coming off IR (back) and will take Petry’s spot. Farmhand Martin Marincin will play his first NHL game in place of Belov (No. 85 in your program). Corey Potter is back after a few days in OKC, and he’ll replace Grebeshkov. Marincin, Potter and recalled centre Anton Lander didn’t make it to the morning skate because of flight issues but Eakins is confident they’ll be making it for the game against the Avs, ranked No. 7 in the league in points.

So the defence Thursday for the Avs is the two Schultzes–Nick and Justin–Andrew Ference and Larsen, Marincin and Potter. Three D-men who’ve been in the minors and Justin Schultz who has played 69 total NHL games.

Because Larsen’s back in, they will have to put somebody else on IR. Centre Boyd Gordon (shoulder) is a likely candidate. Eakins didn’t know if Gordon, who has missed the last two games, was going on injured reserve to open up a roster spot. “That’s Craig’s (GM MacTavish) thing. I’ve got enough problems with our powerplay,” he joked.

Eakins also said he has a banged-up forward who is questionable and a game-time decision, but he wouldn’t say who that was. “I don’t want to blab and open my big mouth for Colorado,” he said, laughingly. Ales Hemsky didn’t skate Thursday morning but he often takes the day-of-game skates off. It’s his option. Sam Gagner crashed into the end boards against Phoenix and was shaken up. He seems a more likely injury casualty.

Most likely, Luke Gazdic, who has sat for four games, will be back in. Jesse Joensuu may be out.

Eakins may get a blender out for his lines if Gagner can’t go, but he wasn’t letting on Thursday morning.

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